Rogue One Coming to Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital HD on April 4th

StarWars.com has confirmed that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be released on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital HD on April 4th. You can watch the in-home trailer (containing some spoilers) below.

The film will be available on Digital HD from March 24th, with the Blu-Ray and DVD versions hitting shelves on April 4th here in the USA. The 2-disc Blu-Ray will come with a range of bonus features, including:

• A Rogue Idea – Hear how ILM’s John Knoll came up with the movie’s concept – and why it’s the right film to launch the Star Wars stand-alone films.
• Jyn: The Rebel – Get to know Rogue One’s defiant, resourceful survivor, and hear what it was like for Felicity Jones to bring her to life onscreen.
• Cassian: The Spy – Diego Luna shares insights into his complex, driven character, who becomes a hero through selflessness, perseverance and passion.
• K-2SO: The Droid – Explore the development of this reprogrammed Imperial droid, from initial pitch and character design through Alan Tudyk’s performance.
• Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills – Go deeper into the relationship between these two very different characters, with Chinese superstars Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen.
• Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary – Forest Whitaker and Riz Ahmed reflect on Saw Gerrera, the broken Rebel leader, and Bodhi Rook, the Imperial pilot who defects.
• The Empire – Meet a dangerous new Imperial adversary… and cross paths once more with the most iconic villain of all time. 
• Visions of Hope: The Look of “Rogue One” – The filmmakers describe the challenges and thrills of developing a bold new look for the movie that can fit within the world of the original trilogy.
• The Princess & The Governor – See what it took to bring the vibrant young princess of Star Wars: A New Hope – as well as one of her most memorable foes­ – back to the screen.
• Epilogue: The Story Continues – Filmmakers and cast celebrate Rogue One’s premiere and look forward into the future, to the Star Wars stories yet to be told.
• Rogue Connections – Uncover Easter eggs and film facts hidden throughout the movie that connect Rogue One to the Star Wars universe.

If you're in the US, there are also a number of retailer exclusives to choose from. Walmart will have a 3-disc set (combining the Blu-Ray and DVD) for $24.96US, Best Buy will have a 4-disc steelbook which also includes the Blu-Ray 3D for $29.99US, and Target will have a 5-disc set which adds an additional DVD of exclusive content for $27.99.

Principal Photography Begins On Han Solo Film

Today, StarWars.com today announced that principal photography has begun on the as-yet untitled Han Solo standalone film. The announcement was accompanied by a photograph of the core cast and crew in a very familiar location.

Clockwise from bottom left: co-director Christopher Miller, Woody Harrelson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, co-director Phil Lord, and Donald Glover. Image courtesy of StarWars.com.

While the cast was no secret, the big (though hardly surprising) reveal in this image is the confirmation that Chewbacca will be playing a role in the story. The article also identified May 25th 2018 as the release date for the film, marking a departure from Disney's run of December Star Wars releases. This also means we'll see the Han Solo film in cinemas a mere five months after the release of Episode VIII. That's a damn fast turnaround, and it does resurrect the concern of us suffering a little Star Wars-fatigue.

What are your thoughts on this announcement? Be sure to let us know via Facebook or Twitter, or by sending an email to relicsoftheforce@gmail.com!

The Hunt Is On - Rogue One 3 3/4" Wave 2 2-Packs Found

The cast of Rogue One continue to trickle out in action figure form, and I was recently able to track down the two 2-packs from the second wave of 3 3/4" figures that are on my huntlist - Baze Malbus and Imperial Stormtrooper, and Captain Cassian Andor and Imperial Stormtrooper for $14.95US ($20.79NZ) each.

Baze is entirely new to the 3 3/4" line, while this version of Cassian has only previously been available with that blasted Nerf-firing U-Wing. Instead of releasing these popular characters as single-carded figures, Hasbro went with the rather transparent marketing strategy of releasing them exclusively in two-packs and requiring us to fork out a little extra cash. This could be annoying, but thankfully Hasbro paired each of these characters up with a figure you can never have too many of - the Imperial Stormtrooper.

The Stormtrooper that accompanies Cassian is a straight repack of that exquisitely sculpted single-carded figure from wave 1. The paint application has been slightly improved, however, with his ab buttons now picked out in black. The Stormtrooper that accompanies Baze is a slight variant on that same base figure, now sporting a pauldron and ammo pouches on his chest. Together, they make great additions to any collector's growing Imperial army.

As for Baze and Cassian - well, these two really represent the extreme opposites of the current state of Hasbro. Baze bears an uncanny resemblance to his on-screen counterpart, and features all kinds of intricate detailing including a backpack/cloak combination that nicely links up to blaster rifle. Cassian, on the other hand, is largely plain - being armed only with a pistol and bearing little resemblance at all to the actual character. Nevertheless, he's a vital component of any Rogue One display, and from a small distance away he can do a manageable job of passing off as the Rebel Captain.

Now the only character missing from my gang of  rogues is Bodhi Rook; so I'll be on the lookout for him as wave 3 hits stores in the coming weeks!

Funko Pop! #146 K-2SO Bobblehead

My obsession with K-2SO continues to grow, so when I spotted this incredibly hard-to-find Funko Pop! K-2 bobblehead for $8.78US ($12.26NZ) in Walmart, I had to pick him up.

This is my first foray into Funko's line of collectibles, and I have to admit I'm definitely seeing the appeal. K-2's currently taken up residence sitting next to our TV, and never fails to bring a smile to my face whenever I see him. He's also mounted on a detachable display base which very conveniently fits the 6" range of Hasbro's Black Series figures as well.

Of course, the hardest thing now is going to be resisting the urge to pick up some other Funko friends for him...

Metal Earth K-2SO 3D Metal Model Kit

My girlfriend received the Metal Earth Millennium Falcon kit from her brother for Christmas, so I decided to pick up another set for myself so we could work on them simultaneously. Fortunately, the new line of Rogue One models had just turned up in stores, so I was able to pick up this very cool K-2SO for $11.99US ($16.74NZ).

All-in-all, K-2 is a very nice model - once you've got him built, at least. There were a few complications along the way, not least of which was the extreme fragility of some of the pieces. I like to think of myself as a fairly careful builder, but some pieces - in particular the hands - broke while merely being removed from the sprue with clippers. It was nothing a little super-glue couldn't fix, but still a tad frustrating. Further, K-2's flimsy joints (which are, of course, endemic to the character, so not Metal Earth's fault) mean that even when the connections are made as tightly as possible, there's still a lot of movement in the finished figure. This causes K-2 to sway a lot, and often fall over completely. Once again, a tiny dab of super glue seemed the best solution to eradicate this movement.

Once assembled and secured, however, K-2 looks absolutely phenomenal. The exquisite detailing - particularly around the face - really bring this character to life. Best of all, he's designed to be perfectly in scale with Metal Earth's earlier R2-D2 model, so the pair will look great standing together!